Deadly Hideous
by BlackCoffeeOnly
Summary: He ruined my face, and now? I'm out for blood.
1. The Reaping

God I wish I'd grabbed my shoes before leaving. The cobblestones are smooth underneath my feet, but I see a strip of gravel up ahead. I can make that jump. I pump my arms, pushing myself to fly over the patch, but my foot catches on an uneven stone and I fall instead. Fuck. My hands and knees are raw, but I don't have time to take care of them right now. Instead, I push off from the ground and keep running. The streets are eerily quiet as I run through them, my panting breath drowning out bird chirps and the faint cheering of a crowd.

How did this happen? Why am I running to my own fucking reaping? I should be there, in the front with my trainers, ready to volunteer first, but here I am instead praying that they started the ceremony late. I blame all of them. And once I'm in the Capitol I plan on revealing exactly what they did. If I make it there on time.

The mile run is exhilarating, the most physical exertion I've gotten in over two months. It's exactly what I needed before I face him again. The thought of seeing him gives me butterflies, but not the good kind. No, these are definitely more of the Capitol engineered deadly sort of butterflies. I take a deep breath and burst into a sprint to vault over the barricade set up on the street. I don't need to think of him right now, I have more important things to worry about. Like how I'm going to get through the dense crowd of people in the Plaza.

Screens overhead show the face of Marigold, our Escort. People stare upwards, their faces rapt as she gives a flourish and peacekeepers bring the selection bowl forward. Shit shit shit. I look around, trying to find some kind of path to get to the stage. Nothing. If I don't start shoving people now I'm not going to make it.

"And now, as is tradition, we will select our female tribute first." I start pushing past people, getting vicious looks along the way. Well they won't really mind when I'm their victor, now will they? Sparing a glance up at the screen I see Marigold reach into the bowl, pulling a name from the bottom. I'm trying to get around a thick cluster of people when I hear her read, "District One, please congratulate your female tribute, Aurum Delacey!" I freeze. A timid girl steps forward. I don't think she's trained a day in her life. Seconds seem to take ages as she takes tiny steps to approach the stage. Unless I say something now, she's going into that arena, and she won't stand a chance.

"I volunteer!" I yell. "Over here, I volunteer!" It takes a moment for the cameras to find me. I'm not among my peers, which is already an oddity, but given my disheveled state, I understand why they might have trouble believing that I'm the eager volunteer. I'm a disaster. My hair is frizzy and tangled, and the blonde has grown out to reveal my dark roots. I'm only wearing thin shorts and a tank top, so I look like I rolled out of bed. My knees are raw, my wrist is in a brace, and I'm visibly out of breath. Worst of all is my face. Though healed, my nose curves off to the side looking completely deformed, and the scar that runs down my cheek is wide and bright red. To make things better, I'm not wearing any eyeliner, and it's clear that in my months of rehabilitation my brows have been neglected.

The peacekeepers clear a path for me, and I take my time walking to the stage, soaking up the stares and disbelief. Yeah that's right assholes, I'm back. The Capitol isn't ready for what's about to hit them.

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Thanks for taking the time to read! Will be updating with a full length chapter tonight :)


	2. The Waiting Room

"You can't let her compete!" Prest shouts.

"I don't see what the problem is. She volunteered, she's 18, and she has a heartbeat. That's all the Capitol cares about," Marigold whispers. "Between you and me though, what happened to her face?" She looks both ways, like she's afraid that I'll somehow appear out thin air beside her.

"It's… awful," she finally manages to whisper.

"There was an accident." Prest turns to open the door to my room and I quickly remember that eavesdropping is generally considered rude. I back away from the peephole and try and think of some way to cover up what I was doing so close to the door.

I move so I'm directly in the line of the door exclaiming, "Ow!" when it hits me.

"Ah!" He jumps. _What a baby_. "What are you doing there?"

"I was going to try and find you. What are you thinking making me wait like this? We're on a schedule here, you know."

"Well maybe you should have thought of that _before_ you volunteered, Miss 'I'll take my sweet time doing whatever I want'"

"Wow, is that all you've got? I'm sooooo hurt right now."

"I don't know what you're planning, but if you think for one second I'm letting you get on that train to the Capitol-"

"What are you going to do? Tell them I'm unstable? Deluded? Weak? You've already done of all of that, and I'm still here. Better face the facts Prest, nothing's getting rid of me."

"I know one thing that will." A grin creeps on his face as he realizes this might end up better for him overall. "These games. And it doesn't really matter what you say in the Capitol, they won't believe you anyway." His smile grows wider, ever the sadistic fuck. "You should have listened to my advice. Have fun getting yourself killed." He turns to leave.

"Oh don't you worry, I will." He gives a dry snort in response, and exits without another word.

Okay so maybe that was a weak reply, but you know who else is weak? Prest. If Presteej was worth anything he would have actually competed in the games instead of being fine with just being a trainer for future victors. He's a watcher, not a doer. I'm a doer, and I'll do anything to be the next victor from District One.

In my rage, it takes me a moment to realize I'm still standing in the middle of the room. Taking a breath, I lay down on one of the luxurious chaises in hopes of calming down. Say all you want about our district's poor leadership, you have to admit they've got style. With black crushed velvet hanging over window to the rear gardens, hand carved furniture, and wooden floors so clean you can see your reflection, this waiting room is definitely a suitable place to say farewell to my home.

 _Tap, tap_. A tentative knock on the door disrupts my wandering thoughts.

"Come in." The door opens a crack and Vi slips through, closing it quietly behind her.

"Vi!" I jump up and engulf her in a hug she can't escape. "Oh I've missed you so much!" She's tiny compared to me, barely over five feet, but that doesn't stop me from smothering her until she swats me to release her.

"I've missed you too, loser," she says with a grin. "Be quiet okay? I'm not supposed to be here."

"What? Why not?"

"Prest. He's turning everyone away who tries to see you. But he's at the main entrance, and I was already in the building, so it's not like that was going to stop me!"

I hug her again. "You're the best."

"I know," she says. "You," she pauses for effect, "are a crazy woman, you know that? What do you think you're doing volunteering for the games? I thought we had a pact!" She pouts.

"Really Vi? You think I'm going to be able to keep that pact now? In the name of Snow, look at me! The only way a Capitol guy would ever marry me now would be if I won the games! So that's what I'm going to do."

She stares at me. "You," another pause, "are a genius! I mean you might as well be from Three you're so smart!"

"Ew." I reply, and we break out into laughter at the thought of either of us being in Three.

"Okay, Okay, Vi, I don't know how much more time we have, but thank you for coming. It means a lot." This might be the last I see of her.

It can't be. I'll win. I'll come back. We'll go shopping in the Capitol together! Everything will work out.

"Oh! I almost forgot, I brought something perfect to be your token." She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a beautiful strip of fabric. Depending on where you hold it in the light its colors shift, making beautiful shining rainbows all along it. "A beautiful ribbon for the most beautiful girl I know."

"Vi, you know that isn't-"

"Shh," she whispers, "you've got a hot bod, gorgeous eyes, and the grace of a dancer from the Capitol itself. If that doesn't trump everyone else I don't know what will."

Tears are threatening to overflow onto my cheeks. "But Vi-"

"No buts. Nothing has changed." Her eyes pierce mine, her earthy brown shooting beams into my crystalline aqua. "Nothing. Has. Changed."

I nod my head, knowing I'm not going to win this fight, and not really sure if I want to anyway.

"I should go," she says, and wraps the fabric around my wrist, tying it with an oversized bow. "May the odds be ever in your favor," she whispers as she gives me one last hug before slipping away.

Alone again. I doubt anyone else will manage to get by Prest, but that's okay. I wonder what the Capitol's going to be like. For all Vi and I fantasized about it, neither of us had ever been. I bet it's even prettier than here, and the people there will be stunning, and I might even get to stay there if I win the games. It's like all of my dreams are coming true. So why do I feel so nervous?

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 **Well that's Ch. 2 for you all! I'm a little out of practice so I know the writing might be rough right now, I'm hoping to improve as I move forward. I'm always good with CC, so let me know if you have any feedback! Also, is this a decent chapter length? Or would longer or shorter be better? Have a good weekend guys, I'll update again soon!**


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